Customer Reviews

Beep Beep, Vroom Vroom! (MathStart 1)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Children will identify with the backdrop story of a little girl who wants to play with her big brother's toy cars. Her mom and dad try to help her out by putting the cars back in the same special way her brother keeps them (of course, they don't get it right). Finally, she gets the pattern right in the nick of time, and her parents give her a set of her own. The math idea of patterns is the basis of this book, and there are suggestions at the back of the book to help instill the concept.

The bright, simple illustrations enhance the book in a happy way.

I will be looking for more books in the same series.

You have to like a book with an onomatopoeia for a title.

I used this book as a follow-up to our math patterning unit in my Kindergarten class. As I read the book, the students manipulated unifix cubes to copy the various patterns throughout the story. It was a great hit and certainly a good review of the patterning concept.

My children LOVE this book. Don't think that because this is a "math" book it will be uninteresting! The repetition of the car sounds (beep beep, vroom vroom, crash crash) holds even my 1 and 3 year olds attention. It is fun to read and the author gives you some ideas in the back of the book to try while reading the book. You can read it for fun or point out patterns, colors, or even talk about sharing or asking permission. It is a wonderful book for a boy or a girl. I am giving this book as gifts because my girls enjoy it so much.

As I read the book aloud, I always go back to the page where it shows how the big brother had his cars arranged -- in an ABC pattern, and ask the kids, is this the way the little sister should arrange the cars so that she won't get in trouble? The kids love the book! I find there are very few books that teach patterns in an interesting way like this.

This book is not as good as some of the others. Not as interesting, rather bland.

I really want to like this book -- the artwork is clean and colorful, the way the concepts are presented is engaging, and my four-year-old daughter caught on to the key ideas right away. She, however, unfortunately also caught on to another pattern in the book -- one I hadn't noticed at first but was quite disturbed by after she pointed it out.
The little girl in the book not only disobeys her older brother and parents four times in a row despite repeated warnings, playing with her brother's toy cars against their explicit instructions, the only consequence to her behavior is that she is rewarded with a set of toy cars of her own at the end of the story! Each time her parents or brother catches her disobeying, there is no consequence for her behavior other than asking her to clean up the cars (but with the implication that this is only being required because her brother is so picky about the arrangement, not because she was in the wrong) -- no apology is required, nor do the parents seem anything other than entertained by her disobedience.
It seems silly to be so concerned about something like this -- shouldn't we just lighten up? -- but the fact is that by bringing this book into our home, we are endorsing its message in a way. I certainly would find the daughter's behavior unacceptable, and explaining this to my own daughter (and answering all her questions about why someone would write the story that way if it wasn't good parenting being demonstrated) detracted significantly from the purpose of the story, learning about patterns.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go tell those darn kids to get off my lawn! (just kidding)

This book really set in well with the kids. My kids really understood the concept of patterns after seeing Kevin's cars!

This book is cute and has lots of opportunites for preschoolers to join in with "beep-beep" and other noises. Also it does include the concept of patterns, which you may or may not emphasize depending on the age of children you're reading to. My reservations: First, there's not much of a story here, even by picture-book standards; second, the parents of the little girl, rather than encouraging the older brother to share at least sometimes, solve the problem by getting the girl her own cars to play with. I'm not crazy about the message that if there's a problem, you can solve it by spending money!

This book is fine for teaching patterns, it's main intent. I have a problem with the behavior of the kids however. First, the older brother doesn't share and his parents have no problem with this. Secondly, the younger child sneaks around misbehaving and ignoring both of her parents and her brother yet she's rewarded with a gift. We won't be reading this one again.